Ed note: This weekend, I received the following text from Remezcla’s Creative Director:
AHHHH. Clearly, I needed to know everything about this place. Katro didn’t let us down – she brings the scoop on nose-to-tail eating below:
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I have a lot of lofty professional qualifications to review Mexican food, like 1. I love eating, 2. I am Mexican, 3. I hang out with a lot of chefs. This weekend I met my good friends Marco and his partner (and Fonda owner) Chef Roberto Santibañez for an eating adventure at Salvation Taco, Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield’s taqueria in the Pod 39 hotel. I knew that Roberto collaborated with April Bloomfield to create the menu, and I’d been wanting to go try it because I missed the Family and Friends nights.
The space is very, very cool – modern while managing to keep a traditional Mexican feel through the color saturation, energy, and vividness. The specials and menus are hand drawn on the mirrors, and the lights other small details were clearly thought out. As a graphic designer and creative director, I’m a very visual person – so I really like when a whole business coheres as one composition, from the layout to the walls, lamps, drinks, menu, etc.
After taking in the decor, we got down to business aka trying almost everything on the menu. It was all delicious. First we got the appetizer – my favorite part of the night -crispy pig ears and chicken feet, which we bathed in lime and completely devoured.
I’ve had pig ears before, but the chicken feet were a first timer for me. The key, which I discovered the first time I ate crickets, is forgetting that you are eating an actual ear (or bugs) and just focusing on the flavor. If you close your eyes, the pig ears taste like a chicharron prensado and I fucking loved it… same goes for the chicken feet, though they were a little trickier to handle. Other stand outs from the menu were the carne asada tacos with the pecan chipotle salsa. You can find a great recipe for Pecan Chipotle salsa in Roberto’s cookbook Tacos, Tortas y Tamales – you’ll want to learn how to make it after you try these tacos.
Last, but certainly not least, is Salvation Taco’s full bar—from Micheladas with house-made chipotle hot sauce and Mexican lager to a range of other Mexican-inspired cocktails that range in price from $10-13. If you’re on a budget, check out their new happy hour offering deals on tacos and beer between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. NOM NOM.
Salvation Taco is on 145 EAST 39TH STREET
NEW YORK NY